::If I get swallowed, hopefully I survive the digestive process. It's a lousy way to celebrate an amazing performance from yesterday::,
Toric laments as he continues his soothing melody which is keeping Death or at the very least, Severe Discomfort, at bay.
Based on the increasing levels of weirdness of this area, Azzim considered whether short range teleportation within line of sight was as option.
"::Hang on Toric, I'm going to move you a bit closer to our side. I advise you carry on playing though!:"
Azzim descended a little, pointed at Strandel and twisted his open hand. With a slight pop, Strandel was displaced ending up 30' closer to Azzim and Terex.
::"Its not so much it can't be fooled by illusion its the fact it's hungry, and that hungry will drive it to eat, and that eating will be real. One bit, just one bit and it will taste food real food"::
Rollo and Gift to synthesize their power to generate gazelles walking by. The glowing snake barely alters it's course to swoop down and consume one and then continue it's dance... It sends telepathically... ::More, more... and as more come it consumes more...
This thing is always hungry, supernaturally hungry, it could consume it's own weight in a sitting and it would be hungry... It may get a little less alert if it eats enough enough, however.
::"I really do not want to kill this thing, but It will just keep eating so, next tac, we feed it toxins, who is good at alchemy?"::
Rollo will Dimensional Door to the other side whenever it seems necessary.
Between Shimmer and us can we send it elsewhere?
::"Sounds like a plan"::
Toric's fear is starting to come through the hivemind. ::Love the plan! GREAT PLAN! Hurry!!::
You sure need a lot to eat, don't you? Terexaltherin 'says' to the serpent. You know... we'll probably come thorugh here again. Wouldn't it be better to get fed twice than just once?
The little dragon doesn't think his suggestion will work, but figures it's worth a try. It seems odd that the creature is so hungry, though. So he tries opening his mind wider, 'looking' at it in as many ways as he can.
To the others he suggests, Given how difficult it's been to affect this being with things, we might have better luck moving ourselves into my library or something. I could probably safely fly away with the 'anchor' if we have a bit of a distraction.
Toric finds leading or subduing the enormous snake is challenge. It seems to add a wildness to the music by its presence... and the creature responds to Terex' telepathic plea... ::"Even if I believed you would return to feed me, hungering now is in my nature, even knowing this hunger will be my demise, I am compelled to follow... though you have helped me to satisfy it more pleasantly, certainly... And I am aware of your magicking, it has amused me ... so far... .
Listening to, Terex remembers a bit of basic monster lore - a defining characteristic of many aberrations is endless, all consuming hunger. And thinking, the party has experienced a few time by now that <Shimmer> needs a significant power source to transport a powerful creature and the thing might still be able to resist...
Leander sends to the party ::"If Terex has a means for evading this monster, it seems wise to take advantage of it. We merely wish to go past and we're close already..." while Eruander ::"I feel I could evade on my own or provide some distraction if need be. I leave the decision to you"
;;’so new plan we run, in to shimmer or like me port yourself away I can take 13 with me.’;;
Azzim agreed "::I think we need to get far away from this thing. If things go badly I could try reversing gravity but we're in a peculiar demi-plane here, there's grey nothingness above the canopy, hard to say how magic will react. It might just shrug it off.::"
Well, if you can block or distract it for a bit, I can swoop in and get everyone in my library, Terexaltherin 'says'.
The snake continuous it's dance and snacks on another elk...
Leander sends ::"I can create a reasonable illusion of our Satyr continuing his song and perhaps a couple of us watching also... then we gather behind this underbrush and enter our friends 'library', which hopefully can accomodate us all. Please let us out we well away, you know the path directions...".
I can't do a lot on the distraction end if I'm swooping in--I could maybe use my telepathy to keep up a 'melody' but that would be about it.
If we can't transplant it, then let us just be on our way. Between Gift and I. We can teleport us.
So Leander prepares an illusion, studying Strandel's movements and song as well as he can. The party huddles, enters Terex' library as the illusion is cast, and Terex speeds stealthily and speedily away, roughly following the path... and two minutes later, the thing comes lumbering down the jungle trail, at a remarkable speed, muttering and knocking down trees to search the area but still missing the tiny dragon as he sneaks along. And so the enormous snake continues, eventually getting out of ear shot. After another half hour, things seem clear enough and the group comes out. After another fifteen minutes of careful scouting, you come an area where the monster's path leaves your path and you continue with less worries.
After another half hour, the path begins to steeply ascend. After two hours of climbing up steep dirt trails (with occasional the stream running through them), you fly or pull yourselves up to a rough flat granite platform (about 50'x40') that you realize is "The Lookout". After catching your breath, you venture to the edge and look out past the occasional rubber trees reaching this level...
At first glance, the panorama looks like just high, rolling jungle-covered hills shrouded by patchy mist. Looking more closely, various distant scenes appear to each of you, these scenes are oddly sharp and vivid, as if you could see faces and gestures at one or two miles distance... Some scenes are familiar but changed, others are completely alien...
The distant light from a haver tank scouring the battlefield flashed in the mist. She could see it over the lip of the crater. She looked back into it and the two broken Andriod sisters there. One moved her head, looking back at her with gifts own face.
"System reboot, systems diagnoses more danger, Dammmmmer maa, Dam dam dam..."
Gift went down the creator to her, T1-11-L3 unit 29 read her code.
Gifts left arm was a mess, the mine her other sister's. L3-39-TT had stepped on, had blown them all up. Gift had tried to worn them but to late. Now the enemy knew someone was out in no one's land. And Gift was the only one walking. She looked over T1-11-L3 as it kept trying to asses itself. Core damage, limbs missing, and its AI failing. Gift pulled out her wire jack and plugged it into the side of T1-11-L3's head. Downloading the AI into herself. T1-11-L3 stopped moving. Gift reached over, and by pressing around the shoulder detached the arm. She replaced her own. placing T1-11-L3 into the arm socket her nineties bonded it. Gift moved over to L3-39-TT, or what was left of her. Nothing to claim, L3-39-TT was slag. Gift rolled onto her back just in time to have a hove tank pass over head. She froze in place. Powering down. The tank spun around and its search light scanned over the crater. It weapons tracking. After a moment it seemed to drop and a hatch popped. A tropper got out, a voice form in side the tank called out.
"Grab the AIs and be quick about it Demmy! Its hot as hell here with Mechs"
The tropper jumpped off the tank and moved down the crater, it 1st checked T1-11-L3 but when his box wite jack pinged AI dead. He moved over to Gift. Pulling out the wire form the handheld Retriever box. He was about 20 but the looks of him, his uniform dirty and not to well kept. He moved to placer the wire jack in gift head socket. He never got there. His body cover her from being seen from the tank, her hand move so fast and jabbed him in the eye her finger going into his brain. He twitched one. with her other arm she held im in place. Blocking her. Pulling her finger out of his skull she took pressed the feed putten on the retriever and pulled her own wire jack out, pulling into it. She download L3-39-TT AI into the retriever and pushed it into the Tanks AI. The locals did not trust AIs so they used basic ones. L3-39-TT ripped it apart. Suddenly from the tank same, a scream as the internal system turned in its occupier. A form come up the hatch and moved to drop a charge into the Grave tank. Gift pulled the side arm of the dead trooper she was holding and shot the form. The tank commander fell dead of his grave tank the charge rolled away and exploded. Showing Gift with dirt. She pushed the dead trooper aside and stood up. as he did the audio unit on the tank said.
"So sister need a lift"
Gift claimed up the crater.
"never thought you would ask L3-39-TT"
The distant mist shrouded hills had become the towers and buildings of sigil he'd witnessed for the first time with mute wonder after jumping through that portal, chased by gem encrusted golems. As before the shadow was cast by the most enormous woman walking through the metropolis, whose face was surrounded by a burst of turquoise knives each the length of buildings. Part of her shadow was inbetween him and the golems, they crossed it to reach him and we're messily unmade.
As before she stopped in her tracks and noticed him, but this time she reached out towards him with a titanic hand. Azzim's heart lurched and suddenly he felt like he had to run, but he couldn't because his legs weren't working properly and the world turned black.
Looking back on this later he didn't understand any of this. Back when he'd first entered Sigil he had been notified, but nobody could tell him why. The general advice was to thank his luck stars and never mention it again. Why now would she reach out as if to pick him up or to crush him? None of this made sense any sense, compared to her he was as insignificant as an ant. Also why was Captain Ahmed absence from this vision? He'd been beside him and been flayed alive when this has happened for real.
Rollo smiles at this memory. He is at home in the great city of Katapesh. The oppressively heavy heat presses down from above, causing the underground environment to act like a sauna.
Not a great smell.
The dhampir views his younger self huddled in an empty alcove. He is eating his first meal. His initial taste of raw, warm, ecstatic blood from a living creature! The large rat squirms and shrieks when the young dhampir engages in his birthright.
How ironic actually., muses the older Sage.
He remembers the fear, the self-loathing, the embarrassment of the days preceding that moment. His mentor was cruel. He was unforgiving. He was tossing the baby bird from the nest to learn to fly!
Rollo smiles again at his own foolishness and naivete.
He breaks from his reverie, watching the dream unfold before him; knowing what will happen next.
The younger dhampir messily drains the giant rodent of its life blood. He stops just before the final beating of the heart. He absently drops the corpse into the flowing river of sewage. His blue eyes glossed over. His head swimming. He stands. The strange call of a thumping echo reaches his sensitive ears from somewhere close by. As if in a trance, the young and hungry dhampir moves silently toward the memorizing call.
Traveling as if by instinct, Rollo traverses the narrow ledges of the slime-covered pathways throughout the sewage system. His step steady. The enticing sound is all encompassing. His concentration only focused on finding the source.
Rounding a bend, his blue eyes find his prey! Huddled alone and not yet aware of the predator invading his safe hide-a-way, there sits a human boy. He is obviously a run-a-way from the unforgiving streets from above. Dirty, wearing only a tossed off sack, and greedily eating a stolen morsel, the boy turns suddenly. His glazed and frightened gaze finds Rollo; standing not 10' from him, edging closer and closer.
Rounding the bend, his blue eyes find his prey! The huddled child is him! The new blood lust clouds his mind, while the sensation of dizziness assaults him. The dhampir watches himself staring wide-eyed at the monster that is himself approaching with only hunger....
Before the boy can speak, scream, run; the hungry and blood crazed dhampir latches onto him!
Rollo remembers the guilt, shame, disgust after that initial feeding.
We are all first timers at everything at one time in our lives. I did get better--and cleaner--at it!
He watches as his former self picks off a crude amulet from the boy. It's the same one he wears to this day: lapis-lazuli....
Terexaltherin doesn't relax until after he's told Terecho to have the others come out. He appreciated being small when it meant being able to evade something like that...
The little dragon flits back and forth ahead of the others as they climb the slope, keeping watch for further dangers until they reach the top. Then he allows himself to ease off just a little and enjoy the view.
He's just considering slipping into one of the structures when he hears a commotion around the corner. Some corner of the little dragon's mind recognizes it as the event that had first led him to cross paths with the Organization, but that doesn't matter to his wary footsteps. Just before he can round the corner, however, he feels something snap beneath his claws, and a net drops down over him.
The sudden realization that he's about to miss that fateful meeting, combined with the fear of suddenly being captured, drives Terexaltherin into a frenzy. He bites the weighted ropes of the net and tears at them with his little claws, but all too soon silence falls. Remembering his powers the little dragon throws the net off with a telekinetic shove and flies towards where he'd originally met his first Organization contact...
...but instead, he finds a Tree. Or perhaps a TREE. The city abruptly ends, overshadowed by a trunk so massive even the largest dragon would seem but a songbird before it. Gazing up and up, Terexaltherin can't even make out its canopy, as if the tree goes on forever up into the starry sky above. He spreads his wings and flies up along the trunk, wanting to find where it goes. Even though he knows he's flying almost straight up, he finds himself soaring as if he were flying level, with only the occasional flap keeping him airborne.
A shape moves to his right... another miniature dragon. One that looks exactly like him. Terecho, maybe? But then another clone comes up on his left. Yet somehow Terexaltherin can't seem to focus on this oddity. After all, they were almost there. Just a little further...
Branches spread out just above them, and the three little dragons dart between them, at home in this canopy just as they are in any other forest. And then they break through to the top... and they can see. See the branches spreading out and growing, not leaves, but stars, each shimmering brilliantly on its own little twig.
Awestruck, Terexaltherin and his duplicates gather around one of the branches. He reaches into his pack and pulls out their star, carefully fitting it into place. It flashes so brilliantly it's blinding, and then he's falling, starlight clinging to his claws as his vision clears...
Terexaltherin stumbles. He'd been falling... but he's on solid ground? Blinking, the little dragon looks around, memory of where they were and what they were doing slowly returning.
Summer Lord Strandel laughs. "I run with The Angels now, you b|tch!"
The satyr reminiscences. Damn I loved that line!
Snowball, the young white dragon, slashes the tainted sword from the antipaladin's grasp where it falls to the ground shattering. But then it reforms itself.
Wait. That's not right.
The tainted holy sword now glows with an even sicklier purple light as rockets back to Sevren's hand. Stunted, Strandel watches the evil sword piece his fae heart and darkness overtakes the satyr bard as he dies.
No f-ing way! That's not how it happened!!
The darkness fades to reveal a prone Strandel, under a foot choke hold of a very pissed off dwarf with platinium hair. The satyr appeared to be in a kitchen he's never seen with a table and chairs upended. A crying GIFT is comforted by a slightly older woman consoling as two small dwarf infants cry in high chairs, upset by the turn of events.
Strandel struggles to speak as the dwarf puts considerable pressure on the satyr's larynx. "Listen...it...(hic)...just...how...it's done. I didn't...know you...could get...androids pregnant...(hic)..."
As the visions fade, you notice Leander glance at the party members and begin to say "Oh, I didn't expect such dreamers..." and then checks himself... and continues "no matter, we continue, quite a view, yes?"
After resting, repacking whatever needs repacking and having a noon snack, the party continues down the other side of steep hill. This side of the hill is slight less steep than the other, the path is initially less muddy and more rocky and the going is fairly pleasant 'till you have go across several streams cutting the path and slight rain begins. You continue 'till nightfall and then make camp. The end of the second day. The vegetation here is strange - purple, pink and yellow with black, moving flowers common.
Gift did not care about Leander's feelings
She rounded on Strandel and in an angry voice said.
::"I gave you the benefit of the doubt Strandel, That you would not be a disgusting old Fey...":::
She could see the look on his face, the feeling of revulsion from her was papule
::"The Hivelink is still up Strandel, I saw all of the dreams and you'er... Why in the hells are you dreaming you made ME! pregnant, not only that your in there with my mother and father showing off the fact!!"::
She shunts out the hive mind with a feeling of disgust. And stands there fuming.
Strandel got Leander all figured out. Con men know cons, Charmers know charms. But the satyr has the more pressing matter of a rampaging android in his face.
With the hivemind off for the moment, Toric uses his actual honeyed words.
"Like I have any control over my dreams..or visions..or whatever." Toric absentmindedly rubs his neck where Dream-Arlo was choking him.
The satyr shakes his head, trying to wrap his mind around GIFT's anger.
"I don't know. Maybe because we're back in nature, and as a fey, this is where I'm most at home. We are surrounded by lush vegetation. Hell, we're AFTER lush vegetation!! But ultimately, nothing happened! So calm your..processors, or something."
"Wait, so that dwarf was Arlo, huh? Weird." Toric chuckles. "I seriously hope I never meet the guy. Damn. hehe."
Rollo smiles at the Leander reaction to the group's actually having dreams. The Sage just smiles wider at Gift and Strandel.
Perhaps we concentrate on the tasks at hand? Not like those of us that have been around didn't see that coming.
Rollo then prepares for the day's trek.
Viewing the vegetation here is strange - purple, pink and yellow with black, moving flowers common, the Sage begins studying it, as camp is set up.
"Perhaps we concentrate on the tasks at hand? Not like those of us that have been around didn't see that coming."
Toric shoots the dhampir a quick glance. "Rollo. Stop helping!"
Gift stomped off as the menfolk had their fun at her expense.
She was angry but she was also slightly shocked, this new psionic form had such strong feelings.
"Oh, I didn't expect such dreamers..."
Heart still hammering in his chest Azzim, grunted in surprise as the world, or demi-plane or whatever it was snapped back into place. Glancing at Leander, Azzim muttered "I for one didn't expect such dreams! Its like somebody's been rifling through my mind, looking for... Well I don't know what, but it seems they have a habit of finding emotionally charged memories and manipulating them, for reasons unknown."
Rather pointedly he asked Leander, "Did you have a vision too?"
When Gift stormed off he sighed inwardly as he felt her anger bright as the sun through the hive mind. This was super awkward, Azzim would have been upset too in Gift's place, on the other hand a Satyr was going to be a Satyr and Strandel likely couldn't help himself.
He asked Laurana to follow Gift at a discreet distance saying, "Make sure nothing tries to sneak up on her but I doubt she's in any mood to talk..." The little Azata nodded and flew off after Gift.
Speaking in hushed tones to Toric he suggested, "We uh need you back in the hive mind. I reckon you're going to have to say sorry to her! Best of luck!"
Later Azzim marvelled at the exotic vegetation with flowers that moved, some of which unnervingly tracked their progress.
When the topic of making camp was raised, Azzim said, "I enjoy camping as much as the next person but given the size of that snake, I'm getting cold feet about sleeping out here. I've got something I want to try..."
At the bottom of his pack, Azzim found a tiny box filled with straw and crate paper, which he carefully unwrapped revealing a silver spoon, an inch square bit of highly polished marble and a tiny carved ivory door. While holding them in the palm of his left hand, he licked his right index finger and drew the outline of a door in the air in front of him. With a word of power the outline flared briefly.
Azzim grinned, "Welcome to Hotel Farouq! Inside we've got a common room with a cosy fire, over there is a music room - hermetically sealed. You each have ensuite rooms with heated baths. Over there is the dining room, there'll be a none course banquet later. That spiral staircase leads to the pool, and the bar's down the hallway!"
Wandering Spirit -> Lore
Wandering Hex -> Arcane Enlightenment: Major Image, Slow, Mindscape Door,
Jatembe's Ire, Mage's Magnificent Mansion
Ritual Hex -> Heaven's Leap
Spells Memorized:
1. Cultural Adaption, Heightened Awareness x2, Protection from Evil, Strands of The Tangled Knot, Tears to Wine
2. Ashen path, Barkskin, Focused Scrutiny, Fog Cloud, Resist Energy x2
3. Cure Serious Wounds, Daylight, Dispel Magic, Major Image, Sand whirlwind, Sleet Storm
4. Blessing of Fervor, Air Walk, Freedom of Movement, Purify Body, Mindscape Door
5. Persistent Slow, Breath of Life, Unleash Pandemonium, Wall of Thorns
6. Anti-life shell, Jatembe's Ire, Heal
7. Familiar Blessing of Fervor, Reverse Gravity
Speaking in hushed tones to Toric he suggested, "We uh need you back in the hive mind. I reckon you're going to have to say sorry to her! Best of luck!"
"Apologize?!" Toric replied indignantly. "For what? That was a vision, not dream! Neither I have any control over! I can't apologize for The Whims of The Multiverse!" The satyr folded his arms in finality.
Rollo is seen crying from laughing....
I may be allergic.
Azzim Tried to put this as delicately as he could, "I know, we can hardly blame you for dreaming something that is in your nature to dream. Buuut! She's still going to expect an apology, trust me on that!"
Toric stared daggers into Azzim. "No fair using Logic in your argument!" The satyr rolled his eyes. "FINE."
The bard gently walked over to the android. "GIFT. I'm sorry my vision hurt your feelings. I am sorry."
Leander replies to Azzim. "I had a vision like a dream at the lookout, yes. A continuation of the many dreams I've shared with the Cucurai. I'm surprise that all of you had that experience as well. These normally only affect those who've prepared themselves. But no matter, if they trouble you, you make an effort to blot them out of your mind. I also know spells to prevent them if you wish..." And then the walk down the hill continues...
Azzim has no trouble creating the Magnificent Mansion and the party rests in sumptuous luxury. Leander very politely thanks Azzim and takes advantage of the pool and has the servant launder his clothing (you realize he may not have bathed for quite some time previously). Rising the next day (third day on the trail - but you know you are about a day ahead of schedule and expect to arrive at the "Crystal Forest" later today), the rocky path in the warm, light rain is not quite as appealing but the party continues. The path is basically level here but winds back and forth, up and down in a sometimes maddening way - the rain is slowly but steadily increasing.
As you stop and start, you realize the rain increases not over time but only with your movement - you moving into heavier weather.
Continuing, after about three hours, Azzim spots a strange creature that appears only momentarily - the size of a small wolf or a large dog but shaped more like a badger or wolverine with longer legs but an even shorter snoot and thick, black hair - it emerges for a few seconds and then heads into the area beyond the path you know lead to dimensional instability. After half an hour, another one appears similarly and you are on-guard and can act after a third on appears after forty minutes...
Like the others, Toric takes advantage of the nice bath. Drying himself off, the bard goes down and gets his fill at the buffet. Once full, the satyr goes downstairs to the bar to drink and socialize before bed.
Toric tries to identify the strange creature.
Gift is burning blue with anger, litirily blue phonic power arch’s around her.
As Strandel talks and walks up she spins on him and two waves of power go each side of him, ripping up the ground. Then she sees the super cute big eye look on his face. Like a puppy who has messed on the private floor and knows he has done wrong. His look of such contraction, such cuteness like a child pleading. Her anger fades in a moment.
Stand gives him a cold look.
”Alright, alright, just a vision, just turn that what ever you are doing off before my Elan mind pops, and please never do that to me again. Not the vision’
She waves her hand up and down taking him in.
”What ever that is”
She walks past him to the nice pop up keep that has just come into being.
He fills a prod on his mind and he is let back into the have-link,
Azzim winked at Rollo when the satyr went to see Gift, but he remarked softly, "It takes guts to do that."
To Leander he asked, "Given the nature of our venture perhaps we should allow them to try and communicate. Still incase the dreams get too intrusive I'm curious which spells you've found to be effective at shutting them out?"
Azzim wasn't an expert on nature by any means but he knew a thing or two about planar phenomena and beings and he considered whether the dog/wolverine thing was some kind of planar beast or aberration.
Terexaltherin is oddly quiet as they continue on, not joining in the, err, banter between Gift and Strandel. Instead his thoughts dwell on what he'd seen, and whether or not it means anything.
He's roused from his ruminations by the the appearance of the odd creature. While he's too slow the first couple of times one appears, by the third time he's ready enough to try reaching out to its mind in a wordless greeting, just to see if it will respond.
Considering just the brief moments of contact, Azzim realizes the creatures are more alien than they first appear - their black "fur" is a sort of prehensile pseudo-pod structure and they seem capable of moving in the planar "foam".
The next time a creature appears, it acknowledges Terex' greeting, sending telepathically "Where do you head?" and then immediately leaves the area again...
Terexaltherin holds open the telepathic connection as long as he can . Down the path deeper into the wilds. And you?
Once it's out of range, he reports the conversation to the others. Say, <Shimmer>, do you detect anything particularly interesting about the planar boundaries around here that would explain why this creature or creatures is doing this here? he asks.
Earlier...
Still incase the dreams get too intrusive I'm curious which spells you've found to be effective at shutting them out?
Leander shrugs, "I might use Numeth's Dream Shield, which guards against dreams, hallucinations and excess emotions, though not illusions and the like. A spell of the third order , it lasts several hours. If that is not sufficient, Bregar's Calm Mind, which extends the effects of the well known spell of Calm Emotion to dreaming and many other things. That is a fifth order spell so it would be less convenient for me to cast as well as limiting the one it's cast on. I have each spell in my records and can share them if you wish, eschewing the standard fees, since we are on a journey or you are aiding me on a journey..."
As the creature leaves the zone of the path, it keeps contact, "Venu and Heathmu have a bet on which of you will survive the deluge, so we're just keeping tabs..." and it keeps contact...
She walks with the others and then the 'things' pop up she says nothing, her 360 sight means she knows when they are in view.
::"Leander we have a hive mind, if you would let me link you in, handing out protection is simpler. And I am a Psion Telepath of some power. warding minds is what we do"::
Rollo just watches and awaits the outcome....
...well, thank you for the warning, Terexaltherin 'says' to the strange being.
He turns his thoughts to the others. We'd better watch out for some kind of trouble, this being just mentioned a 'deluge'. I'm guessing it's either some giant magical rainstorm or a weird planar flood...
Earlier, Gift speaking with Leander
::"Leander we have a hive mind, if you would let me link you in, handing out protection is simpler. And I am a Psion Telepath of some power. warding minds is what we do"::
To which Leander nods and says "Excellent, I had a hunch there was something like that happening. Your skill may come in handy when we reach the Cucurai." and he joins the hive.
As the things leave contact, Terex says "...well, thank you for the warning...", at which point, he "hears" another telepathic voice "speak" ..."But what if they survive? That would throw the gamble into contention. And they seem more powerful, I think, than those two bristle-hairs imagined. Hmm... and telepathic channel remains open...
Gift flings her arms out
::"OUT!"::
And her crystal drones zip out and away.
Then her mind reaches out for Leander, a hive mind in its own rite, linked to a bigger one. She is the firewall.
::"Welcome Leander, before a let you in, understand any harm done to the others will mean your expulsion and possibly a lot of pain."::
Seam
Do you see lots of travelers come through and face this deluge? Terexaltherin asks. He's curious about the connection remaining open, so he keeps 'speaking. Have you talked with many of them before? We are in some ways an unusual group, but not entirely unique.
Rollo raises an eyebrow at Terex.
I will have to disagree with your assessment of our group. Special is only what others perceive on our surfaces.
Narrowing his reply to just Rollo the little dragon says, I'm *trying* to not give too much away to unknown beings that may not have our best interests at heart, given they're betting on us dying.
He pauses, then adds, Also the multiverse is just ginormous so it's pretty hard to be unique in the grand scheme of things.
Gift sends her drones beyond the path in the general direction of the vanished creatures but they seem to immediately get lost
The first creature sends back telepathically ::"We see something trying to pierce the deluge every week or two, usually its fine sport guessing the outcome. But your group is strange now that we've looked at you - no others speak the mind-speech for example. Perhaps we could come to an understanding. Sacrifice a lesser member of your group and we could give you a bit of crystal orichalcum which we are gambling for. I hope understand, as all civilized creatures must, that once a gamble has begun it can't be ended without a result, there must be an outcome..."